WEBVTT IN MAINE BUILDING A PRODUCT OUTOF WHAT.ACCOMPLISHED.I WANT TO BE PROUD.MADE IN MAINE.THE PEOPLE AND THEIR PRODUCTSTHAT MAKE MAINE SPECIAL.STEVE: HELLOEVERYONE, WELCOMETO "MADE IN MAINE."WE ARE INSIDE LISA MARIE'SSTORE, SURROUNDED BY HUNDREDS OFITEMS MADE RIGHT HERE IN MAINE.YOU WILL MEET SOME OF THEARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN WHO MAKETHESE PRODUCTS.MANY OF THE PRODUCTS HAVE MAINEWRITTEN ALL OVER THEM,BUTOTHERS YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TOLEARN ARE MADE HERE.WE MET A WOMAN IN SOUTH BERWICKWHO MAKES FINE VIOLINS.HER NAME IS CLAIRE CURTIS.♪AS MUCH AS CLAIRE CURTIS LOVESTO MAKE MUSIC, GIVEN THE CHOICE,SHE MUCH PREFERS THE ROLE OFMUSIC MAKER.I WISH I PLAYED BETTER THAN IDO BUT THE TIME I WOULD BESPENDING PRACTICING, I SPENDMAKING INSTEAD.THIS IS WAY TOO SICK.STEVE: AFTER YEARS OF STUDY,CLAIR BEGAN MAKING HER SIGNATUREVIOLINS LITTLE MORE THAN ADECADE AGO.HANDCRAFTING EACH OUT OF WHATSEEMS TO BE NOTHING MORE THANSOME DISCARDED PIECES OF WOOD.YOU CAN SPEND FIVE OR SIXHUNDRED DOLLARS FOR WHAT JUSTLOOKS LIKE STICKS OF FIREWOOD.STEVE: IT'S THESE 'STICKS'HOWEVER, TONE STICKS.DO YOU HEAR THAT?STEVE: WHICH CLAIRE SAYSULITMATELY MAKES THE DIFFERENCEBETWEEN A GOOD SOUNDING VIOLINAND A GREAT ONE.IT RINGS BUT NOT TOO MUCH, IWANT A CLEAR SOUND.I WILL FLIP IT.IT IS TWO, SO IT IS THINNER ONTHE SIDE.STEVE: IT'LL TAKE ROUGHLY 11WEEKS TO PERFECT THE SOUND ANDCOMPLET THE VIOLIN METICULOUSLYSCRAPING, MEASURING ANDCALIBRATING EACH COMPONENTBEFORE THEY'RE EVENTUALLYMARRIED TOGETHER.WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN JUST AMERE MILLIMETER IN YOUR SOUND OFA VIOLIN?OH, INCREDIBLE, IN FACT, ATENTH OF A MILLIMETER IS GOINGTO MAKE A HUGE SOUND DIFFERENCE.STEVE: BUT CLAIRE IS THE FIRSTTO ADMIT NOT EVERY ONE OF HERVIOLINS MAKES THE GRADE AND SHEIS HER TOUGHEST CRITIC.EVEN THE SLIGHTEST IMPERFECTIONMEANS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A$2000 VIOLIN AND ONE THAT SHE'LLSELL FOR $10,000.SO IF I PUT IN A LABEL THATSAYS CLAIRE CURTIS, I MADE THISI WANT TO BE PROUD OF ANY VIOLINI PUT MY NAME ON.STEVE: TODAY, CLAIRE CURTIS ISPROUD TO TOUT THAT MANYMUSICIANS ARE IN FACT PERFORMINGWITH HER MADE IN MAINE VIOLINS.BUT, THE IDEA THAT YEARS FROMNOWTHOSE SAME INSTRUMENTS COULDSTILL BE MAKING MUSIC, WELL,NOTHING, SHE SAYS, COULD SOUNDSWEETERIT'S ALMOST A FORM OFIMMORTALITY.WITH ANY LUCK MY INSTRUMENTSWILL STILL BRING PEOPLE MUSIC,BRINGING THEM JOY WELL AFTER I'MGONE.AND THAT IS AMAZING.♪STEVE: CLAIRECURTIS ONLY MAKESFEW VIOLENCE EVERY YEAR, THEREIS A MUSIC MAKING COMPANY ANDNEWPORT WHICH EVERYDAY PUMPS OUTHUNDREDS OF PRODUCTS.UNFORTUNATELY, A FEW WEEKS AGO,VICK FIRTH DIED AT HIS HOME INMASSACHUSETTS BUT HERE IN MAINEHIS LEGACY LIVES ON, MADE INMAINE FOR 52 YEARS.THIS IS THE WAY THE WOODCOMES IN FROM TENNESSEE.IS THE WOOD THAT WILL BECARVED INTO 80,000 DRUMSTICKSPER DAY.THE COMPANY RARELY TOUTS HOWMANY IT MAKES, INSTEAD HOW WELLTHEY ARE MADE.INSIDE THIS FACTORY THERE ISLITTLE ROOM FOR ERROR.5000 OF AN INCH IS OURTOLERANCE FOR DIMENSION.STEVE: IT IS THAT QUALITY FORCONTROL THAT THE FAMED FORMERPIANIST -- TIM PANELIST --TIMPANIST WAS KNOWN FOR.IF YOU MAKE MUSIC BY LACKINGSOMETHING WE DO NOT WANT YOU TOBE LIMITED BY NOT HAVING THECORRECT TOOLS.STEVE FROM THAT RAW PIECE OF: WOOD, TO THE FINISHED PRODUCT,IT'LL TAKE MANY STEPS TOULIMATELY REALIZE WHICH TWODRUMSTICKS WILL BE PACKAGED ASTHE PERFECT PAIR.EACH STICK INDIVIDUALLY WEIGHED,MEASURED, EVEN EYEBALLED RIGHTDOWN TO THE TINIEST OF DETAIL TOENSURE THEY PRODUCE THE EXACTSAME SOUND.WE LOOK FOR CROSS GRAINS ANDKNOTS, ANY MILDEW AND JUST THEOVERALL QUALITY OF THE STICK TOMAKE SURE IT'S UP TOEXPECTATIONS.-'THE HIGHER PITCH, THE LOWERPITCH'.STEVE: FIVE DECADES LATER, THEBEAT GOES ON FOR VIC FIRTHDRUMSTICKS, TODAY THIS FACTORYIN NEWPORT, DESPITE A STILLSLUGISH ECONOMY, RUNS AT FULLCAPACITY, EMPLOYING MORE THAN150 WORKERS.YOU MAY NOT GO BUY A NEW DRUMKIT IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES BUTYOU HAVE TO HAVE STICKS, SO WEHAVE WEATHERED THE RECESSIONVERY WELL.STEVE: SURVIVING THE PAST,PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE, CHIEFENGINEER DAVE CROCKER BELIEVESIN ORDER TO KEEP THIS COMPANY ONTOP, AS MUSIC CONTINUES TOEVOLVE, SO MUST THE DRUMSTICK.THERE'S CERTAINLY A FOCUS ONWHAT CAN WE DO THAT'S NEW FORTHE DRUMMER TO PRODUCE A NEWSOUND, TO FILL AN EMPTY NITCHTHAT WE'RE NOT ALREADY IN, WHICHIS GETTING HARDER BECAUSE WEPROBABLY PRODUCE 250 DIFFERENTSHAPED DRUMSTICKS.STEVE: AND EACH OF THOSEPRODUCED ONE SINGLE STICK AT ATIME.ANOTHER ITEM YOU MIGHT BESURPRISED TO LEARN IS MADE HEREIN MAINE ARE HANDMADE, WOODENSURFBOARDS.YOU THINK OF THE SURFING CULTUREAND THE WAVES AND THE MUSIC --THAT IS EVERYTHING THESESURFBOARDS ARE NOT.OUR PROCESS IS VERY DIFFERENTTHAN ANY OTHER PROCESS SO OURSHOP IS DIFFERENT.STEVE:THE NEAREST CRASHING WAVEIS MILES AWAY.JUST A PEACEFUL COUNTRYSIDESURROUNDS THIS SURF SHOP, APTLYTUCKED AWAY INSIDE A BARN.WE ARE SHAPING BOARDS WITHHAND TOOLS LIKE 100 YEARS AGO.STEVE: WITH THOSE OLD-FASHIONEDTOOLS, MIKE AND HIS HALF-DOZENEMPLOYEES ARE BUILDING SOME OFTHE MOST MODERN, CUSTOM-MADESURFBOARDS IN THE WORLD.HE FORMED GRAIN INTO THOUSANDFIVE WITH BRAD ANDERSON.A FELLOW -- IN 2005 WITH BRADANDERSON.A FELLOW SURFER WITH A PASSIONFOR THE ENVIRONMENT.THE PROBLEM WAS WE LIKE TOSURF AND WE WANT SURFBOARDS THATARE MORE ORGANIC AND LESSPOLLUTING AND THE NATURAL PATHWAS TO DO IT OURSELVES.STEVE: TODAY THEY ARE DOING ITTHEMSELVES, CREATING SURFBOARDSOUT OF WOOD, A PROCESSESSENTIALLY ABANDONED IN THE1950'S WITH THE ADVENT OFFIBERGLASS AND FOAM.THE WOOD THEY ARE USING ISALLLOCALLY GROWN CEDAR, EVEN THERESIN THEY APPLY OUR 40%PLANT-BASED.WE PICKED UP WHERE THEY LEFTOFF AND WE APPLIED ALL OF THISNEW THINKING AND NEW MATERIALSTO BUILD BOARDS THAT MEETREQUIREMENTS TODAY.STEVE:LATER THIS SUMMER, THEWORKSHOP WILL BE FILLED WITH NOTJUST THE CRAFTSMAN BUT DOZENS OFSTUDENTS WHO COME FROM ALL OVERTHE WORLD TO LEARN TO BUILDSURFBOARDS.DESPITE THE UNIQUEDESIGNS, HISCOMPANY LOVES SHARING THE TRADESECRETS.I SAY WE HAVE THE WORSTBUSINESS PLAN IN THE WORLD.THERE IS AN APPRECIATION WHENYOU MAKE YOUR OWN BOARD.THERE IS A CLOSER CONNECTION TOTHE BOARD AND THE WATER.STEVE: HIGH-TECH, LOW-IMPACT.THAT IS THE PROCESS THE GUYSTOUT THAT SET THEIR BOARDSAPART.STATE-OF-THE-ART SCIENCEENGINEERS THE PERFECT RIDE.THEY WASTELITTLE MORE THAN AFEW SHAVINGS.WE ARE ALL SURFERS AND ENJOYTHE OUTDOORS.WITH BOARDS THAT ARE MADE OFTOXIC MATERIALS -- THEY MIGHTBREAK AFTER SIX MONTHS, THAT ISNOT A GREAT WAY TO LIVE YOURLIFE.STEVE: STILL AHEAD ON "MADE INMAINE ," MORE WATER AND MOREWOULD.WE WILL HEAD TO ELLIOTT FOR ACOMPANY THAT MAKES STAND UPPADDLE BOARDS.